


The Eye Of The Beholder

by Cozy_coffee



Category: Supernatural RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Angst with a Happy Ending, Big Bang Challenge, Bottom Jensen Ackles, Discrimination, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Future Fic, Heavy Angst, Hurt Jensen Ackles, Love at First Sight, Lust, M/M, Mutant Society, Science Fiction & Fantasy, Sexual Content, Top Jared Padalecki, True Love, WIP Big Bang
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-06
Updated: 2014-05-06
Packaged: 2018-11-08 23:45:28
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11092419
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cozy_coffee/pseuds/Cozy_coffee
Summary: A SPN RPF re-telling of the classic Twilight Zone episode, “The eye of the beholder.” Jensen Ackles, a young man, lays in a hospital bed, his face wrapped in bandages, awaiting the outcome of a surgical procedure performed by the State in a last-ditch attempt to make him look “normal”. Will it be a success or a failure? Will he be able to stay in the city, or will he be exiled to the ‘village’ to live with Jared Padalecki, a man who is, by the beauty of the world’s standers, hideous and ugly?





	1. Chapter 1

The perception of beauty is subjective. To one person, attractiveness is captivating; to another, beauty is horrifying. The year is 2077, the world is at a time of peace, and the daily norm is perceived the same; what is standard and accepted in one culture is found unnatural and rejected in another.

This tale is a story of beauty, love, and acceptance, of a man named Jensen Ackles, whom society considers to be an abomination. Never blessed with alluring or attractive features, he is declared hideous and appalling, grotesque—an undesirable. Over the years, Jensen has undergone multiple cosmetic procedures in order to look beautiful, to be “normal”, spending half his natural life in a hospital with his face wrapped in bandages.

Unfortunately, all of the past procedures have been unsuccessful.

This month, Jensen has undergone yet another procedure, and although he hopes, he is still unsure if any operation will be a success. He won’t know until the bandages came off. So desperately he wishes to be “normal”, accepted by the world, to not feel like a freak of nature. He wants to walk down the streets of the city without hanging his head in shame, to never again hide his face behind a scarf to shield his hideous features from the beautiful people, the ones who are blessed with exceptional looks, the “normal” people.

Jensen is tired of being an outcast; he has no friends and his world is extremely lonely.

On this Friday evening, he remains in bed, waiting for the doctors to come in and remove the bandages. He has healed from the procedure; now all he can do is await his fate. What will his future hold? If this operation has been a failure, like the others have been, then he won’t be allowed to have anymore. The law is strict: 13 procedures; no more, no exceptions.

If he’s still ugly, Jensen is faced with two options: He will be exiled from the city and sent far away to a village in the north, a town that was filled with his own kind, the unattractive and abnormal people; or he can be exterminated, given a needle and put to sleep peacefully, never to awaken.

Jensen is firmly against living in the northern village among people who were like him; he doesn’t want to live with outcasts. He wishes to be one of the beautiful people and be accepted in the city, like the rest of his family. His decision is unyielding; if this last procedure is a failure then he will ask to be humanely euthanized. He knows his chances of being put down peacefully are slim because the government only grants that wish to the gravely sick or the elderly undesirables, the people whom the government thought had little or no quality of life.

Jensen is only twenty-five years old; he’s in perfect health, young and has everything to live for. With little chance, his wish will never be granted; his only option is to go live in the village far, far away from the city. Even with his fate seemingly bleak, Jensen has faith that this time the outcome will be different; maybe this procedure will turn out to be a bona-fide winner.

The sun was beginning to set, amber rays casting streams of light through the windows of Jensen’s hospital room. He couldn’t see the sunny rays; his face was still wrapped in thick bandages, swathed entirely in a gauze mask. His whole head had been covered, thicker around the eyes, down nose to chin, which left a small slit open for his mouth, but he could feel the sunlight on his face. The warmth was soothing and calm, so peaceful. The open window allowed a cool breeze to drift through his room, bringing in fresh air and casting out the dreadful antiseptic scent that lingered in the hospital room.

Jensen lay in the bed, his mind spinning with an assortment of thoughts as he waited out the calm before the storm. In just a little while the doctor and nurses would be in to remove his bandages and he would discover his fate. Jensen was a mix of nervousness and excitement, dread and happiness. He wondered if he would finally be normal, or if he would remain an abomination. He sent up a prayer to the angels, asking them to grant him beauty and to give him a “normal” life, and let him leave this lonesome life as an abnormal outcast behind him.

The door of his room swung open and, even though he couldn’t see, he already knew it was his nurse coming in to check his vitals, one last time. Jensen was familiar with the routine by now; he had been through this enough times to have it memorized.

“Good evening, Jensen,” Misha greeted warmly. He had been Jensen’s nurse for the past three years, had become friends with the man while Jensen rested in the hospital. Misha was one of the many people in the town who had been blessed with attractiveness; yet unlike some of those cruel people, he was not snobbish nor did think of himself better than Jensen simply because he was graced with beauty. He was kind-hearted and compassionate, a friend who wished only the best for Jensen.

Jensen was grateful to have Misha in his life; aside from Jeffrey Morgan, his doctor, Misha was his only friend. Both men never made Jensen feel like an exile; their kindness made him feel accepted, even with his hideous features. “Hey, Misha. How are you, today?”

“I’m doing well, Jensen. How are you? Feeling all right, not to cold?”

Jensen shook his head, smiling softly behind the bandages as the lingering warmth of the sun’s rays shone on him. “I’m okay. It was a beautiful day, wasn’t it? The sun was out and it was warm, I can feel it and I bet it was a perfect day. I wish I could have seen it.”

Misha noted the hint of sadness in Jensen’s voice and he tried to reassure his friend. “You will have many sunny days to see soon. Once the bandages come off, when you are one of the beautiful people, you will be able to sit outside and watch many sunsets. And during the daylight, you can sit under the sun and read; I know how much you love to read Jensen.”

Jensen felt his heart clench in his chest. Reading was something he loved to do, ever since he was a kid, when he would get lost in the epic stories of exciting tales; the books always depicted the lives of beautiful people, normal souls, and Jensen wanted to be just like them. He had not been able to read in a few weeks because his face was always wrapped up, and he missed the feeling of normalcy that the stories brought to his bleak world. Jensen hoped Misha was right that one day he could sit outside on a sunny day and read one of his favorite books, out in the open like everyone else, not tucked away hidden in his bedroom where the world couldn’t gaze upon his hideous features. “Do you…Do you really think this last procedure worked? Do you think I’m finally ‘normal’, like you?”

“I do, Jensen. I have faith.” Misha picked up Jensen’s chart and wrote down his vitals, noting that there had been no change since the last time he checked in on Jensen; all his vitals were good, yet Jensen’s heart rate was beginning to increase a little. “Jensen, my friend, please stop worrying.”

He took Jensen’s hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “The procedure is done and you have healed. There is nothing else we can do but wait until the bandages come off. Worrying will do nothing but make you frantic and upset.”

“When will Jeff take the bandages off? How much longer?” Jensen was trying to be patient but he was anxious and uneasy. He wanted the damn bandages off now so he could know his fate.

“Soon, Jensen,” Misha promised. “Very soon, my friend.”

“My face, it was terrible, wasn’t it? I bet it was the worst Dr. Morgan had ever operated on; I was a truly revolting patient.”

Misha shook his head, his baby-blue eyes sympathetic. “Trust me, he’d seen worse. He has been a surgeon for many years and in his time he has seen some truly awful faces.”

It was true. Jensen was not the first abnormal person to undergo the producers in hopes of being “normal”. Some people had been cured; others had been failures. Jensen wished with all his heart this time his doctor had worked a miracle. “Misha, I know how bad my face was. Ever since I was a young boy, people have turned away from me or laughed at me, or have called me vile names. I’ve been bullied and looked down on my entire life because of my looks. I am so unattractive, so horrifying.” He tuned his face away from Misha’s direction as he continued to speak, his tone filled with desperation and misery, “Hell, I remember a day when I was walking down the street with my face uncovered and a beautiful child screamed in terror when she saw me. I’ve been abnormal my whole life, and all I want is to be like everyone else. I don’t want to be a horrifying monster.”

“I know, Jensen. All of us here: your doctors, the other nurse, and the rest of the hospital staff...want that for you, as well. We are all praying for you, Jensen.”

Jensen nodded but didn’t say another word. He felt angry that he had been born this way, an abnormal soul in a world of normality. Misha patted his shoulder in comfort then excused himself, leaving Jensen alone to wait for his fate to be handed to him.

At the reception desk, Misha called in Jensen’s vitals to his doctor, giving Dr. Morgan an update. “Dr. Morgan, this is the evening report on patient 307. He is resting comfortably, no vital changes, all looks good. However, he is growing restless. I think it’s best if we get the bandages off within the hour. The sooner, the better.”

“Thank you, Misha,” Dr. Morgan replied. “I’ll be down soon to check in on him. Once I determine his wellbeing, we will proceed with removing the bandages. I’m anxious as well to see how the procedure turned out.”

Nodding, Misha hung up the phone and proceeded with his nightly rounds.


	2. Chapter 2

A little while later, Dr. Morgan visited his eager patient, trying to remain hopeful even though he was feeling a sense of worry. He approached the bed, smiling kindly even though Jensen couldn’t see him. “Hello, Jensen. How are you feeling?”

Jensen smiled softly, despite the dread coiling in his belly. “I’m a little scared and anxious, but excited.”

“We’ll have those bandages off you very shortly, Jensen,” Dr. Morgan assured. “I expect you’re uncomfortable. That wrapping must be itchy.”

“No, I’m fine. I’m used to bandages on my face.” As heartbreaking a realization this was to him, this had become his own type of normalcy, seeming to have spent more time with his face covered and hidden than unhidden.

“This is your thirteenth procedure, Jensen. You realize that, don’t you?” Dr. Morgan asked softly. ‘This is your last chance’...that was the unspoken point he was attempting to make, and the weight of that knowledge was heavy in Jensen’s heart.

“I know, Jeff. This is my last opportunity.” Jensen’s voice shook sorrowfully as he turned his head away. He was trying so hard to be hopeful but things were feeling grim. “It’s hopeless, isn’t it, doctor? I’ll never look any different. I’ll...I’ll never be normal. Will I?”

“That’s hard to say, Jensen. Up until now you haven’t responded to the proven techniques. Nothing we’ve done so far has made any difference at all in how you look. We’re hopeful, though. Maybe this last treatment was the one we have been waiting for; maybe we have accomplished our goal, Jensen. Still, we won’t know anything for certain until we get the bandages off.”

“Doctor, can I be put down?” Jensen asked timidly, pleading. “Please? If it didn’t work, may I go peacefully?”

“Now, now, Jensen,” Dr. Morgan soothed as he patted Jensen’s arm. “You’re jumping the gun. We don’t know anything yet, let’s not make rash decisions. You may very well have responded to these last injections. You may now be attractive, completely normal. There’s simply no way of telling until we remove those bandages.”

Jensen huffed angrily. He didn’t want another hopeful fairy tale; he wanted to know the truth. “But if the operation failed, then what?

“Jensen, you know there are alternatives. Human euthanasia is not your only choice. There is a village, a very nice town, which you could live in. It’s a place where you would be welcomed with open arms and accepted by people of your own kind...”

“Fucking freaks of nature!” Jensen spat bitterly. “I don’t want that! I don’t want to live with outcasts. I would rather be put down like an old dog than go live in a place with all those abominations, those abnormal people. I want to be ‘normal’!”

Dr. Morgan sighed softly, still trying to be comforting. “Jensen, we have tried everything we can to make you normal, to give you beauty. Yet sometimes, no matter how hard we try or how advanced medicine is, things are not meant to be.” He took Jensen’s hand, giving it a kind squeeze, trying to ease the worry of his patient, and friend. “Jensen, if this procedure didn’t work that doesn’t mean all hope is lost. You must believe that. You can live in the village and have a very wonderful and happy productive life living in peace and harmony. I know you can’t see that now, but it’s true. Yes, at first, it will be a struggle to adjust but given some time with people who know how you feel and who have been in your shoes, people just like you, you will come to love it. Jensen, you will be welcomed and accepted with love, friendship and compassion, and the village will become a home where you will finally be ‘normal’.”

Dr. Morgan was certain Jensen would enjoy living in the village, even if the younger man was against it. In the past, some of his patients had been sent to the village; it took time, but eventually, all of them came to love the town and the people, and they found their place in a community, not of freaks, but of family and friends. Dr. Morgan wanted the same for Jensen, all the happiness and joy he deserved.

Jensen knew his doctor truly cared about his best interest, but still he felt sorrow and hurt over being an undesirable. Sighing, he rose upright in bed, supporting himself on his elbows. “Doctor, can I go outside and sit out on the lawn? Just for a little while? I want to feel the last sunny rays of the day on my body, even if I can’t see the setting sun? I just want to have a fleeting moment of normalcy before you remove the bandages?”

“Jensen...”

Jensen bolted further upright, reaching out blindly, his hands finding purchase in the white lab coat Dr. Morgan wore. “Please, Dr. Morgan. Please, I’m begging you. Can I go sit outside? To sit there and make believe that I am normal and no different from anyone else? That I’m not this fucking grotesque, ugly, deformed man with bandages on his face—to believe that I’m normal?!?” His voice was strained, so sad and so desperate. “I want to be like everyone else, to have friends. I don’t want to be alone anymore.”

“You’re not alone, Jensen. You realize that, don’t you? You’re hardly alone.” Dr. Morgan sat beside Jensen on the edge of the bed, holding his hands, trying to reassure his friend. “There are many people who share your misfortune, Jensen. People who live in...”

“In the village, I know! Stop saying that!” Jensen screamed, his voice coming out in shriek of anger and sadness. “That village is nothing more than the sub-human shithole, a place where the government segregated the freaks from the ‘normal’ people. It’s a degradation! Who the fuck gives the government the right to decide what is normal and what is not! The government isn’t God! It shouldn’t have the power to penalize people for an accident of birth. I didn’t want to be born a freak!”

“Jensen, please, calm down.” Dr. Morgan pulled Jensen to his chest and held him, rubbing his back in soothing circles. “The government is not unsympathetic. Your presence here in this hospital attests to this. We have done everything we can for you and tried very hard to make you normal. But you must think rationally. You can’t expect to live a happy life amongst people who are normal, when you yourself are abnormal. You would be ostracized and bullied, like you’ve been your entire life. You deserve to be happy and have a wonderful life, even if that life is spent outside the city with your own kind.”

Jensen heart was beating so quickly and tears filled his eyes. He lifted his head and looked forward; imaging Dr. Morgan gazing back at him with looks of sympathy and compassion. He couldn’t wait any longer; he needed to know his fate. “Please take this off me,” Jensen begged, and when no word was uttered, he began to grow hysterical. “Please take this off me! Please! Dr. Morgan, take the bandages off me!”

Down the hall, Misha, as well as another nurse and doctor, heard Jensen’s screams, those screeching pleas. They raced into the room as Dr. Morgan struggled to restrain Jensen, who was fighting wildly and squirming, trying to break free of any hold of his body. Jensen was frantic, and Misha ran over to the bed and took hold of his arms, keeping him from lashing out. “Jensen, it’s okay. Calm down and stop fighting.”

“Misha, please, make him take the bandages off me!” Jensen fought to break free but he couldn’t with Dr. Morgan, Misha, and the other nurse keeping him still on the bed. “Please! I’m begging you! Take these fucking bandages off me!”

“All right! All right! You win!” Dr. Morgan replied hurriedly, soft and soothing. “Jensen, it’s going to be all right. We’ll take them off. Calm down, okay, settle down.”

Jensen instantly quieted down, his breaths coming out ragged and rough as he panted. His body trembled as Dr. Morgan and Misha stepped aside to talk.  
“Misha, call upstairs and have an anesthetist brought down, I want one standing by,” Dr. Morgan whispered, too quietly for Jensen to hear. “When we take the wrapping off and he sees himself, if he’s still abnormal, he may get violent.” 

Misha nodded and left the room quickly to make the call. Dr. Morgan walked over to Jensen, taking his hand. “Jensen, would you come with me, please? Let’s get you settled in the chair and set up.”

Jensen let himself be eased off the bed then over to the chair, his hospital gown flowing softly as he moved swiftly. Once seated, Jensen began to pray as the doctors and nurse moved around the room to set up the tray of sterile instruments and utensils needed for the bandage removal. As Jensen sat there, the TV mounted on the wall outside his room began to play the evening news segment...

The world’s leader addressed the viewers, speaking with authority and strength: “Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Tonight, I shall talk to you about glorious conformity and about the delight and the ultimate pleasure of our unified society. About how normality is what makes our world perfect and how it allows us to live in peace and harmony. Normal is what makes our world worth living in, what gives us peace. It is essential in this society that we not only have a norm, but that we conform to that norm. Differences weaken us. Variations destroy us. Conformity we must worship and hold sacred. Conformity is the key to survival. Normal is God!”

As the new cast droned on, Jensen sat in the chair in the center of the room, his bandaged face lit by one single overhead lamp, zeroing in like a stage spotlight, while Dr. Morgan, Misha, and the other nurses were hidden in the shadows.

Dr. Morgan stood before Jensen with a pair of scissors held in his hand. “Now, I have to ask you once again, Jensen, please remain calm. I must insist that you remain rational and under control. No tantrums or outbursts, and no violence at all. Do you understand?”

Jensen nodded and placed his hands in his lap, sitting still and keeping his head lifted upwards toward the warmth of the practiced hands, composed and calm.

“Now, I’ll tell you precisely what I'm going to do, Jensen,” Dr. Morgan said. “I’m going to cut the bandage away on the left side of your head. I’ll start to unwind the bandage gradually, going very slowly so that you can become accustomed to the light. As you know, the injections may have had an effect on your vision; things may look grainy and blurry at first before they become clear and focused. As I unwrap, I want you to keep your eyes open and I want you to tell me the different shading of light you see as it becomes viable. Okay?”

Jensen sat up a little straighter, still calm, so controlled, even though he wanted to jump up and rip the bandages off his face by himself. “I understand, Dr. Morgan.”

“Good. Now, if you make any threatening movement or if you start getting highly emotional on us, I'm going to have the nurses hold you down and have the anesthetist put you under sedation. I can not risk you harming yourself or anyone else in this room. I will have you restrained and put under, should it come to that. Is that understood, Jensen?”

Dr. Morgan hadn’t meant to sound so heartless, but he had to make it clear to Jensen that this was not negotiable. In the past, a few of his other patients had become violent upon seeing that they had not gotten the desired results and had harmed a few of the hospital staff. There was even one patient who had taken her own life by stabbing herself in the heart with a pair of scissors. In the present time, and future, Dr. Morgan had vowed he would never allow anyone, including Jensen, to ever again be harmed on his watch.

“I promise,” Jensen assured gingerly. “I’ll behave. I will be good.”

“All right then.” Dr. Morgan placed his hand on top of Jensen’s head to steady it as he cut a section of the bandages away. Once the incision had been made, he slowly started to unwind the gauze, pulling the loops around Jensen’s head until that layer was unbound. “Do you see any light now, Jensen? Any at all?”

Jensen blinked, trying to focus on the light above him. “I can see a little. It looks...it just a little gray.”

“All right now, Jensen, just be very quiet and stay still.” Dr. Morgan unwrapped another layer and slowly swirled the bandage around Jensen’s head until it was fully removed. “Jensen, what do you see now? Is the light still gray?”

“No, it’s brighter than before. It’s still a little grainy but clearer than the first layer.”

“Good, that’s good Jensen.” Dr. Morgan replied soothingly. “Stay still now, I’m going to remove another layer.”

Jensen took a shaky breath as another layer of bandage was again unwrapped. He prayed with all his heart: please, let this time be the one...let me be “normal”. The wrapping fell away and Dr. Morgan asked him how the light was. It was bright and clearer than before. Jensen could vaguely distinguish the outline of his doctor’s body frame.

“I’m at the last layer now, Jensen. Would you like a mirror?”

Jensen thought carefully; a mirror would mean nothing of import-the results were either in his favor or against him. He did not wish to see himself face to face, only to know the outcome of his fate. “No thank you, Dr. Morgan. I don’t want a mirror.”

Dr. Morgan nodded, beginning to unwind the last of the bandages. He moved slower this time, almost like, if he did, he could somehow make the desired results come true, if they were not already. Dr. Morgan truly hoped that this last procedure had worked. He wanted only the best for his patient, and friend. “Now, I’m going to remove the last bandage, Jensen. And I want you to remember this please. Jensen? Mr. Ackles, are you listening?”

Jensen had gone quiet, his fear silencing him for a moment, but then he spoke up, “Yes, I’m listening.”

“Jensen, my friend, we have done all we could for you. If we were successful and all is well and good, and there are no problems, then that is absolutely wonderful. If, however, this final treatment has not achieved the desired results, please keep in mind that you can still live a long happy, peaceful and fruitful life among people of your own kind. If you are still abnormal, your disability is not a death sentence.”

Jensen’s heart was heavy with worry. He didn’t want to live among abnormal people, yet the decision was out of his hands. The government was strict; undesirables were force out of the community and banished to the village.

Dr. Morgan had hopes it would not come to that. “All right, Jensen, remain very quiet please and keep your eyes open,” He replied firmly. “I’m going to remove the last layer.” He started to unwind the bandage, the first strip of gauze coming off the top of Jensen’s head and another layer revealing his forehead, followed by another layer uncovering the upper part of his eyebrows and eyes. Dr. Morgan paused for a moment, putting his hand on Jensen’s shoulders, trying to offer his friend one last moment of comfort. “Jensen, here comes the last of it. I wish you the best of luck, my friend.”

Slowly unwinding the bandages, Dr. Morgan eased them away from Jensen’s skin, revealing his face. For a moment there was absolute silence then Misha let out a startled gasp and another nurse involuntarily threw a hand over her mouth, trying to contain her own shocked gasp, but a small noise had slipped past her trembling lips.

Dr. Morgan dropped the scissors and they landed on the floor with a sharp clink as he stepped back away from Jensen. “No change! None at all! He’s still abnormal!”


	3. Chapter 3

Slowly, Jensen raised his head, his eyes franticly scanning the various faces surrounding him: the doctor, nurses and the anesthetist. They were staring at him in shock; some more appalled than others. Jensen’s hands came up to his face and he touched his skin, his fingertips tracing perfectly smooth, unblemished freckled flesh. 

His nose was not crooked or pushed inward toward his face, and his forehead was not indented deeply with gouged groves. His lips were still soft and plush, not sandpaper-rough, and they didn’t curve up the sides of his face, in sharper angles allowing a menacing jagged, lopsided grin to show. His cheekbones were still intact and not slit in half to allow a groove to dent his skin. His ears were still proportionately- sized for his head, not enlarged or covered in hairs. Jensen ran his tongue over his teeth and found that they were not cut or pointy, and there were no caps between them; they were smooth and perfect, pearly white and aligned together.

Jensen looked nothing like the “normal” people. He was still startlingly hideous, an abnormally grotesque freak. His heart sank and an agonizing pain filled his heart as he realized the procedure had been unsuccessful. He buried his face in shaking hands, screams building as he let out an agonizing sob.

It wasn’t right; it wasn’t fair! After all the procedures he was still an abomination.  
Jensen glanced around the room with tears in his eyes, scanning the faces around him—his friends, the nurses and his doctor who had tried for so long to make him normal. All of them were looking at him like they were going to vomit. Dear God, he was truly repulsive.

Suddenly, Jensen jumped out of the chair, running toward the door, attempting to flee the people who had been blessed with pure beauty, but he didn’t get too far. Dr. Morgan hurriedly stepped in front of him and grabbed him around the waist. “No! Let me go!” Jensen screamed and struggled, but it did him no good. “Please!”

“I was afraid of this. I feared it wouldn’t work,” Dr. Morgan mumbled to himself. He tightened his grip on Jensen, keeping him from breaking free as he turned toward the anesthetist. “Needle, please, we need to sedate him. Misha! Turn on all the lights!”

Misha flipped the switch; Jensen winced as the bright array of lights assaulted his unfocused vision. He struggled in Dr. Morgan’s grip as he blinked rapidly, trying to clear his sight. Abruptly his vision cleared and he looked around the room, seeing the other people’s faces as clear as day. 

Each of were more beautiful and stunning than the other. Their noses were deformed, crooked and pushed inwards like a pig, and their eyes were blood red, the irises almost like rubies. Their smiles were askew and the corners of their mouths were pulled up high on their faces, making them smile with a spine-tingling grin. Their teeth were chipped and crooked; the enamel stained yellow. Their large ears were still in place and covered with thick hairs, and their lips were chapped and flakes of dead skin hung from the flesh.

All of them, every one of them, were startlingly beautiful and attractive, a “normal” average human.

It was too much. Jensen was an abomination, and he didn’t deserve to be in the presence of such disturbingly attractive people. The anesthetist walked towards him with a syringe in his hand, and Jensen screamed as he struggled wildly. He punched Dr. Morgan who staggered back, giving him a chance to break free. Jensen shoved the door open and raced out into the corridor, running past the nurses and doctors who had been making their rounds at the time of the unveiling. Each of them had the same features as Misha, Dr. Morgan and the other hospital staff, all of them with crooked noses, depraved smiles, and bloody eyes—“Normal” humans.

“Stop that patient! Stop him!” Dr. Morgan yelled, running after Jensen.

As he raced down the corridor, Jensen shoved at the people trying to stop him, knocking them to the ground as he franticly attempted to escape. 

The newscast continued to play and the world’s leader, the ruler of the government, spoke with an authoritative voice as Jensen dashed down the halls throughout the hospital: “I say to you, ladies and gentlemen, normal is God. Normal is the way to peace and freedom. If we all are the same then difference can not divide us. Difference is what causes hate, and hate leads to war. We must all be the same. There must be a single norm, a single entity of people. We must all be the same. No one must be abnormal! No one!”

“Stop it!” Jensen screamed in rage as he ran down the hall, his hands pressed to his ears, trying to shut out the voice. He came to the end of the hall, a dead end, coming face to face with the TV that was playing the newscast.

The leader’s voice was now loud and defining as he spoke: “Normal is God! No one must be different. Differences divide us. We must be normal, the same. We must live in a socially of conformity and we must rid the world of differentially. We must all be the same! We must all be normal!”

“Shut the fuck up!” Jensen cursed, the tears falling down his face as his heart ached with sorrow. He could hear Dr. Morgan and Misha yelling his name, closing in on him; he turned around and raced down a different corridor, pushed past a set of doors and ran into a room, coming face to face with another man.

The guy was hideous—an abnormal grotesque freak, like him. He had unblemished skin that was a light sun-kissed tan; he was very tall, his body muscular and toned. The man had shaggy brown hair and beautiful hazel eyes, and he was smiling softly, comfortingly. There was a kind dimpled grin on his lips which seemed to make his eyes sparkle. 

Jensen recoiled in shock as he stumbled backward into the wall behind him. He slid down to the ground in a huddled heap, trembling, and gazed up at the man. The guy looked younger than him and was dressed nicely in a blazer and a pair of faded blue jeans. He was extremely handsome—that was, by Jensen’s standards. The world, however, thought him to be hideous and an abomination. Jensen had not seen another human who looked like him in some time; he figured all of the undesirables had been sent away to the village.

“Hello, Jensen,” The man said, offering Jensen a friendly smile of sincere warmth. “It’s okay, don’t be afraid. I’m not going to hurt you. I’m...”

The man was cut off as Dr. Morgan and Misha entered the room. Dr. Morgan went to Jensen as Misha stood by the door, and then he dropped to his knees on the floor. Jensen shrunk back, but Dr. Morgan took hold of him, wrapping a comforting arm around his waist and pulling him close.

“Don’t be afraid, Jensen. Please, don’t be scared,” Dr. Morgan replied soothingly. “This is Jared Padalecki; he’s a representative from the town where you’ll be going to live. I called him earlier this week and told him your bandages would be removed, and he wanted to meet you. Jensen, Jared’s an undesirable, like you. You are among a friend, and look at that, you ran right to him.”

Dr. Morgan pulled Jensen to his feet and held onto him as he guided Jensen towards Jared. Jensen tried to stay back, still shaken from all that he’d endured so far, but Dr. Morgan encouraged him with soothing reassurances. To the world Jared was a monster but to Jensen he was far from it; Jared, in addition to being attractive, had a gentle and compassionate way about him. His smile was warm and kind and he had a welcoming presence. 

Jensen found himself being drawn in by Jared and he gingerly took a step forward until he was standing mere inches from him. Jared reached out and took his hand, and Jensen, for the first time in years, felt safe and comfortable as if he wasn’t a hideous freak, but a “normal” human. He gazed into Jared’s eyes, unable to stop himself from easing out a soft smile when Jared’s grin grew wider. Jared had a very dashing smile and cute dimples, and Jensen knew he was grinning like a fool, but he couldn’t help it.

Dr. Morgan was pleased to see a tiny connection between Jared and Jensen, certain they would become friends. “Jensen, Jared is in charge of the village group in the North. He’ll take you there tonight and you can live among your own kind now. You will be welcomed with open arms. Wouldn’t you like that?”

Jensen didn’t say anything; instead he stood there gazing at Jared with a look of wonder, almost like he couldn’t believe that there was another man who was like him.

Jared affectingly squeezed Jensen’s hand, smiling kindly. “Mr. Ackles, Dr. Morgan has told me that you are not found of the idea of living in the village but I think once you gave it a try you would come to love it. We have a great community and wonderful people, people who are like you. You will fit in and be with your own kind. We have everything the city has, it’s a wonderful town, and it even has a massive library. Dr. Morgan told me you love to read.”

“Yes, I do!” Jensen exclaimed with a bright smile, his entire face lighting up like a child’s on Christmas morning.

Jared chuckled softly, giving Jensen’s hand an affectionate caress. He continued to tell Jensen all about the village, how it was their own little heavenly paradise, full of anything and everything Jensen would ever want or need. To Jensen’s surprise, before he had no desire to live with undesirables, yet now he was eager to go and excited; the village sounded absolutely perfect, a place where he could be himself and be accepted for who he was. He would no longer have to cover his face when he walked down the streets, never again to be laughed at or bullied. It would be heaven on earth.

“You’ll be with your own kind, Jensen,” Jared reassured again, letting Jensen know that he would not ever be alone, as he had before. “You will have friends and you will feel at home. I think you’ll like it where I'm going to take you.”

“Will…will you be there, too? Will you also be my friend?” Jensen asked timidly. He felt the flush enter his face as the words left his mouth. He couldn’t explain it, but he felt close to Jared, as if he had known him his entire life, simply by standing there talking to him. He barely even knew Jared but it seemed like they would become very good friends.

“I’ll be your friend, Jensen. You can count on it.” Jared smiled, and Jensen stepped closer, blushing bashfully as a rush of happiness coursed through him. It had been a long time since he had a friend besides the doctors and all the hospital staff. Now, it seemed like he would have many friends, maybe even a love of his life. He wanted this life of happiness.

Jensen turned to his doctor, looking at Dr. Morgan with relief and gratitude. “Thank you, Dr. Morgan, for everything. I’m going to miss you.”

“I’ll miss you too, Jensen,” Dr. Morgan assured. “But you can write to me as often as you like, I’m always here.”

Jensen hugged Dr. Morgan tightly; even though he wouldn’t see him again, he didn’t feel like he was losing him completely; his friend was just a written letter away. Jensen pulled away from Dr. Morgan then walked over to Misha, wrapping him up in a tight hug.

“Be happy, Jensen,” Misha whispered. “You deserve all the joy in the world and your life is only now just starting. I have a feeling it’s going to be a wonderful and joyful life.”

“Thank you, Misha,” Jensen said with a smile. “Thank you for being my friend. I’ll write to you every day. I promise.”

“I’ll miss you Jensen.” Misha hugged his friend snuggly, smiling when he saw Jared still gazing fondly at Jensen. Misha’s heart soared with happiness to know that Jensen would have such an amazing friend like Jared in his life. After giving Jensen another warm big hug, Dr. Morgan and Misha left the room, giving Jensen and Jared some privacy.

Jared took Jensen’s hand once again and smiled kindly. “Jensen, are you ready to leave now?”

He was. For the first time in his life, Jensen had a sense of happiness and excitement, an eagerness to see the village to live with others like him. “I’m ready, Jared.”

“...then let’s go.” Jared started toward the door, but Jensen stopped him with a hand to his shoulder. “What’s wrong, Jensen?”

“Jared, before we go, I have a question. Why...why are some of us unfortunate to be born abnormal?”

Jared had asked himself that very same question all his life. “I don’t know, Jensen. I really don’t know. But you know something? It doesn't really matter because there’s an old saying...a very, very old saying. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

“Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.” Jensen repeated. “Do you…Do you find beauty in me, Jared?” Jensen felt like a fool the moment the words came out of his mouth. He didn’t even know Jared and he was asking him a personal and, somewhat intimate, question. But he was reassured by Jared’s dashing smile, a tender sweet grin that made Jensen’s heart skip a beat.

“I do find beauty in you, Jensen,” Jared whispered softly, lovingly. “It shines like a star.”

Jensen blushed and ducked his head shyly, and Jared reached out and gently gripped his chin, encouraging him to look up. Jensen gazed at Jared and saw nothing by kindness, compassion and affection written on his face. Something he’d not seen in a very long time. It was an expression that made Jensen feel like he was the luckiest man on earth and he squeezed Jared’s hand with such deep-seeded affection.

“Come on, now.” Jared said. “We’ll get your things and leave.”

Jared led the way and Jensen walked beside him, and together the two men left the room hand in hand. After collecting his things and saying goodbye to the rest of the staff, all of who were thrilled for Jensen, all of them wanting him to have a happy and a fulfilling life, Jensen sat in the passenger seat of the car, watching the hospital disappear behind them as Jared drove away.

Jensen figured he should feel a little scared about starting a brand new life or be nervous to leave the city but he found that he wasn’t. He was excited and he looked forward to living a life were he would be welcomed and accepted, where he would know kindness and compassion, and friendship. Jensen could live in a world opposite of the one he had always known, a kind of world where ugliness was the norm and beauty was the deviation from that norm, a world where he would be normal.

The newest chapter of his life was just starting and he couldn’t wait for it to begin.


	4. Chapter 4

Exactly a month later Dr. Morgan received a letter from Jensen. In the note, Jensen talked about how he had settled into the village; he had been concerned he would have a difficult time adjusting and fitting in but to his surprise, Jensen had settled in with ease and he was welcomed by the town’s people with open arms. They treated him like family and he had made many friends. His closest friend was Jared and they spent a lot of time together, growing closer with every passing day.

Reading the letter, Dr. Morgan could feel how happy Jensen was in his new home. The next month another letter arrived and to Dr. Morgan’s delight, Jensen talked about how he and Jared had grown even closer. They were living together and dating, intimately close, and Jensen was absolutely head over heels for Jared who was deeply in love with him as well. Dr. Morgan was thrilled to see that fate had brought two souls together. It was bond simply meant to be.

A week after Jensen sent his latest letter he was busy writing another one. He stood at the counter scribbling away when Jared came home. Jared wrapped his arms around Jensen’s waist and hugged him, smirking when Jensen cuddled back into his embrace.

“Are you writing another letter?” Jared chuckled warmly. “Baby, you know we have e-mail.”

“I know, but I like sending snail mail,” Jensen smirked. “I told Dr. Morgan and Misha I would write to them every chance I got and I want to keep my promise. Also, I want them to know how happy I am and how much I love you.”

Jared didn’t intended for a rush of heat to coil within him, but he felt a thrill run though him when Jensen said that. “I love you too, Jensen. God, you have no idea how much I love you, just wanna make love to you for hours and hours, feel your skin against me, baby.”

Jensen ducked his head, blushing at Jared’s heated words, and he bit his lip to contain a soft moan that rose in his throat when he felt his cock twitch. Jared pressed closer to him and palmed his groin, rubbing at the semi-hard flesh and feeling it throb in response. Jensen groaned at the kneading his lover was giving his cock as the pleasure burned bright and hot in his belly. He thought he really should have been able to hold out longer, to resist giving in, even as Jared drove him crazy and twisted him up inside. But damn, Jared’s lips felt so sensual and hot on his neck, and his large hand knew just how to touch in order to make Jensen’s knees weaken.

“Jared, please,” Jensen begged. “Please, take me to bed. I need you inside me.”  
He was prepared to implore even more—hell, Jensen would plead if Jared wanted him to—but Jensen didn’t have to go that far. Jared always gave him what he wanted. Jared gave Jensen a sweetened hot kiss, taking his hand and leading him to their bedroom. 

Once inside, Jared stepped forward and cupped Jensen’s face with his huge palms then leaned forward and pressed their lips softly together. He kissed Jensen breathless, his lips loving and sweet on the parting mouth. Jared grabbed the edge of Jensen’s shirt and pulled it off in one swift motion, exposing the toned chest underneath that was adorably sprinkled with patches of golden freckles. 

Jared leaned down and lavished the right nipple, making it hard and peak in no time flat; his action elicited a whimper from Jensen who arched into the touch. Jared’s mouth slid over Jensen’s other nipple and he teased it with his wet rough tongue, lapping at it before biting and tugging it gently. The actions made Jensen arch back more, offering himself up for Jared’s talented mouth.

Jared moaned and licked at the nub as he began pulling on Jensen’s jeans, trying to work them open and get them off. Lips danced lovingly, they kissed heatedly as they each worked together to rid the other of their clothing. Once nude, Jared moved away to light a few of the candles scattered around the room then he returned to take Jensen’s lips in another kiss. Tongues glided together as lips pressed together, breath fluttering as hearts skipped beats. When Jared broke the kiss, he stood there gazing at Jensen, staring at him with love and adoration shinning in his eyes.

“What are you looking at?” Jensen asked, blushing at the worshiping gaze he was getting from Jared’s always-imposing frame.

Jared smiled warmly and bowed his head, resting his forehead against Jensen’s. “I’m looking at the most beautiful man in the world...My boyfriend and best friend, my soul mate. You’re perfect, in every way. I love you very much, Jensen.”

Jensen blushed brighter and kissed Jared, moaning into his mouth as Jared walked them back toward the bed. They fell onto the mattress, both sharing hot wet kisses. Jared broke away long enough to gather the bottle of lube from the nightstand drawer. He coated his fingers with a generous amount then he took Jensen’s lips in a passionate kiss as he parted Jensen’s legs to gain access to his puckered hole. Jared began to work him open, moaning when Jensen’s inner walls clenched and fluttered around his probing fingers.

Inside Jensen was so hot and tight, the inner walls clenching and squeezing snugly, and Jared's touch and kisses elicited a passionate moan from Jensen as Jared steadily thrust his fingers in and out of the quivering hole. By the time Jared had three fingers inside his lover, Jensen was writhing and moaning loudly, his cock rock-hard against his toned abs and dripping precome. Within a heartbeat the room was filled with sensual noises as Jensen rode Jared’s cock. 

Jared sat with Jensen straddling his waist, moaning Jensen’s name every time he rocked hips, sinking down on the length inside him. With each grind of Jensen's pelvis, Jared thrust up into him deeply, angling for Jensen’s sweet spot. Jared kissed and licked at Jensen’s soft, plush lips as he held hips firmly and he plundered Jensen’s mouth, groaning lustfully as Jensen’s hot slick hole clung to his cock.

Jared's hips rocked upward sharply with a quick thrust and his cock hit Jensen’s prostate, and Jensen bit his lips as pure pleasure shot up his spine. Jensen rode the waves of bliss, his arms wrapped around Jared’s neck and holding on as his body shuddered at the bright spark of pleasure tingling within him. He bounced on Jared’s lap and ground his hips down harder as the pleasure built, and he smirked devilishly as Jared gave a low moan, the sound coming out like the growl of a wild animal. His own cock was throbbing and aching to be touched, and each roll of his hips let the swollen flesh rub against Jared’s belly, offering him a delicious sensational friction.

“Touch me, Jared, Please,” Jensen begged as he tossed his head back, bearing his neck and offering himself up to Jared. Jared latched onto his throat, nipping playfully and sucking bruises onto the pale flesh as he slipped a hand between them to grip Jensen’s cock. It was all Jared could do to keep from coming as Jensen began to grind harder and faster, and he met Jensen with frantic thrusts, both of them grinding together as one. 

Jensen’s hands braced on Jared’s shoulders and his thighs shook as Jared fucked up into him, and he clung to Jared as needy little moans and ragged breaths left his plush lips. Jensen rocked up and down on Jared’s cock, his own manhood growing harder every time his lover’s length hit his sweet spot. His body tightened around Jared’s cock as Jared stoked him, and his breath came out in ragged breaths as Jared thrust up into him. Another breath was punched out of him as Jared thrusts upward sharply, and the force of it knocked Jensen forward; the pair went tumbling backwards and Jared landed on his back, his hips still rocking upwards quickly, chasing after his rising orgasm, unable to deny himself the heated pleasure blossoming in his belly. 

Jensen braced his hands on Jared’s toned chest as he rode Jared, crying out in pleasure as the new angle of Jared cock inside him rubbed perfectly against his prostate. Jared continued to stroke Jensen as his cock shoved up into Jensen, pounding away mercilessly on Jensen’s sweet spot as Jensen rode out the wave of insistently with a look of pure ecstasy written on his face; Jensen struggled to keep himself from coming, wanting the pleasure to last longer but the mounting bliss was pulling at him. 

His orgasm was raising quickly, much too quickly, and he was powerless to stop it. Jared's hand tightened around his throbbing length, stroking him with a perfect grip, one that had Jensen being forcefully shoved toward the edge of release. Right as he was about to come, Jared took his lips in a hot wet intense lustful kiss, stealing Jensen’s breath away. Seconds later, Jensen came, moaning into Jared’s mouth, tightly clinging as he spilled hot and sticky between them. Jensen rocked his hips franticly through the aftershocks, bouncing easily on Jared’s cock as Jared fucked him, his body shuddering as the bright sparks of heat and pleasure roared through him.

Jared thrust into Jensen one more time, holding Jensen tight against his lap. He came, too, tongue- licking into Jensen’s mouth as he spilled inside his lover’s hot slick hole. Jensen slumped against him, kissing and licking at Jared’s lips as Jared rubbed his back and held him, both men shivering from the pleasure that sparked up and down their spines.

They collapsed together in a mess of tangled limbs, each holding onto the other as they shared sweet kisses and adoring touches. Jensen sighed with contentment, grinning like a fool at Jared, feeling so happy and joyful; he felt like the luckiest man on earth. Jared smiled at him with a sweet dimpled grin, then kissed Jensen, securing him in a loving embrace. When he broke the kiss, he pulled Jensen closer to him and cradled his lover in his arms.

“I love you, Jensen,” Jared whispered tenderly. “With all of my heart. You’re perfect in every way and I’ll always cherish you.”

Jensen brushed a hand over Jared’s chest, marveling at the way the candlelight played over Jared’s features, casting him in an admiring glow. How Jensen got so blessed to have Jared in his life he didn’t know, but he was truly grateful. “I love you too, Jared. I use to think being an undesirable was a curse, but now I see it was a blessing in disuse. Being an abnormal brought me to you. I love you, Jared.”

Jared leaned in and kissed Jensen, cuddling closer to the man whom he adored more than life itself. Normal and abnormal, ugliness and beauty—those were no longer factors in Jensen’s life. Now all that remained was happiness and joy, love and comfort.

The saying, as it turned out, was true; Beauty was in the Eye of the Beholder. And to both Jared and Jensen, their love was the most beautiful thing in the world.

♥ END ♥

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ♥ This fc was completely inspired by Rod Serling’s classic “The Twilight Zone” episode, ‘The eye of the beholder.’ No harm or copyright infringement was intended, and no money or personal gain was made from this. This was all for fun.
> 
> ♥ Beta, xdarlingnikix. Honey, from the bottom of my heart thank you for helping me! Your talent and skills is the reason this fic now shines! Thank you, thank you! Thank you for your hard work and support!!! I adore you my little angel! Bless you!!!
> 
> ♥ To my artist Frea_O. Angel, thank you for the beautiful artwork!!! It’s pretty and amazing and rocking! Thank you for picking me and creating fantastic works of art! It was a joy to work with you, darling! Thank you!! Thank you!


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